Khamoshi

10-Sixteen Years Ago- What Was Happened?

Hello readers,
Happy new year!

16 years ago.

Kartik kicked in his sleep when his phone rang. It was the first time after his parents demise he was in his appartment and the uninvited phone call was the last thing he wanted. Some days, to exist is such a burden. The phone beeped again. It rang for the fifth time and he had to pick it up. 

3:45 A.M.

"Hello"

"Good morning Sir.. I am sorry to disturb you at this godly hour but I.."

"What is it Pawan?" Kartik snapped. He hated it when his workers did this. It was a waste of everyones time and shows the other person your lack of confidence, which is not what he wanted from his staff.

"sir warehouse mein workers strike. Aur aaj subhe tak containers nahi pahunche toh crores ka nuksan hojayega. They are not agreeing the said notion sir." kartik groaned in frustration and hung up the call.

'idiots'

Mindlessly, Kartik stepped into the shower and washed up. The answer was clear— making money as a boss was easier than going out and making a difference.

Kartik sat in his gleaming blue BMW and zipped by, the early morning like a lightning bolt, reaching the warehouse in fifteen minutes. His eyes widen at the sight, as he saw a small tiny figure in the very middle of the road in front of his car some foot away. What the!

The sinking feeling had grown to a giant wave. His hearts beats pounding away like an overworked pump. He was numb. Slowly a wave of drizzle started drenching him down. Kartik abruptly pulls the handbrake.

And before he could make that kid's ears swell—with highway safety measures, he simply bend down to his knees, crouching in front of the tiny boy who hide himself even more by his tiny fingures.

Damn he is so soft, delicate.

Kartik kneely looked at the tiny frame, the rage he had just a half second ago mysteriously melted in an untainted adoration. Kartik searchingly gazed at him!

The harsh light from the headlights puckering in the kid's eye- refraining him to open. So there's the problem. Kartik stood up to turn off the lights, but before he could move to turn off the headlights, the boy wrapped himself in his left leg around his pants.

"Mat jao" he mumbled. His voice was the softer than the cotton.

"Em.. Just swtiching off the headlights kid... This.. This one.." Kartik explained tapping on the car, and the kid just wrapped himself around his leg burying his face, like, as if, his life tugged on him. Was it? It was.

He still didn't left his hold on Kartik.

Kartik felt baffled by his actions. He gently pulled him from his tiny shoulders and wrapped him under his embrace, coaxing him to look his eyes.

"Hey, Kid, look at me." Kartik asked, in as softest tone, but there was not a trace of any softerness in his voice. It was raw. The boy squirm under his hug, burying his face in his white shirt. It was more clear that he was anything but gentle. And Kartik sighed.

"Bacha see ..aacha don't see me but tell me Aap yahan kaise aaye baache, aai- baba(mom dad) ke saath?"Kartik tried again, but this time his voice was softer than before as the thumbing of kids heartbeat relaxed. Kartik felt relief. He looked around; the place wasn't residential; it was an industrial area. The residential area was far away.

Then, what the hell? Here he came at this hour, and where were his parents? He waited good 30 minutes in the hope that anyone would come, but to his dismay, none came.